Awareness is very important in helping you create a nurturing environment for your baby. You should try your pregnancy to become mindful of your environment and the effects it has on you and your baby. So become aware of what you eat. Sometimes expecting mothers become so much concerned about their weight that they stop taking nutritious diet.

The best way to watch the extra weight is to listen to your appetite. If you listen to your appetite, you will add weight at the right rate, which is a few pounds during the first trimester and a pound per week for your remainder of the pregnancy. It was thought in nineteenth century that woman should limit their food intake so that they can limit their weight gain. People used to think that small babies are easier to deliver than the larger ones. But this lead to the low birth weight of the babies along with susceptibility to infection and delayed neurological development.

But now, we all agree that well balanced nutritional programme leads to healthier and bigger babies. The weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds is appropriate and leads to the healthiest babies.

With a balanced diet and vitamin supplements you can ensure the healthy development of your baby and your own body.

Here are some important things to be kept in mind while you take your food when you are expecting:

• Take three balanced diet having fibre, proteins, essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins
  
  

• Eat when you feel hungry. You may feel hungry many times in a day in later weeks of your pregnancy.
  
  
• Don't overeat. Leave one fourth of your stomach empty.
  
  

• Go for vegetables, fresh fruits and vegetables along with yoghurt, whole grain cereals etc.
  
  

• You can add nuts in your diet like almonds, walnut etc.
  
  

• Reduce the intake of ice-cold food and beverages.
  
  

• Drink plenty of fluids. Make sure to have a lot of water.
  
  
• Stick to your supplements as recommended by your doctor.
  
  

• Eat at comfortable pace. Do not simply pour food into your stomach.
  
  

• Go for low fat food.
  
  

• Eliminate alcohol, nicotine and non prescribed drugs from your life.
  
  

• Try and avoid taking too much of the food which contain caffeine.
  
  

Tags & Keywords : Pregnancy, pregnacy diet, nutrtion during pregnancy, balanced diet, expecting mothers